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enSmart: Norman Rockwell’s Birthday and the Birth of a Feminist Iconhttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/smart-norman-rockwell%E2%80%99s-birthday-and-the-birth-of-a-feminist-icon
<p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3581/3289291174_47f3a74d14_o.jpg" alt="Smart Blog Header" width="471" height="195" /> </p>
<p>February 3rd, 2010 marked the 116th birthday of Norman Rockwell. Google's clever inclusion of his art among the letters of the search engine's logo alerted me to the historic date. Oh Google! You went and did it again with your clever intertextuality.</p>
<p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4020/4331561928_26f63e5139_o.jpg" alt="The Saturday Evening Post with Norman Rockwell's &quot;Rosie the Riveter&quot; as cover." width="180" height="233" /> </p>
<p>Rockwell rose to artistic fame with his Americana paintings depicting everyday life and its sentiments. On May 29th, 1943 The Saturday Evening Post ran as its cover Rockwell's painting of "Rosie the Riveter." Norman Rockwell's painting was the first widely publicized visual representation of Rosie the Riveter. Rockwell's Rosie was a commanding figure decked in overalls and a matching work shirt. Sleeves rolled up, Rosie was muscular and ready to work. With an American flag waving as the entire backdrop, Rosie sits on her lunch break balancing her lunch box – her sign of humanity – and her riveting gun – her symbol of power, importance and patriarchically-validated purpose. Rosie was hard at work, her goggles and visor visible, yet pushed up out of her face, as proof. But she is hungry, justifiably so after a job well done; her sandwich is her hard-won right. Our Rosie is a beauty – strong and muscular with painted finger nails, red lipstick, that perfectly tidy mess of red curls and even an angelic halo encircling her head. She is confident as she gazes out into the distance, all the while using as a foot stool a bruised and battered copy of Hitler's <i>Mein Kampf</i>. Rockwell's Rosie is undeniably a more potent image than that which has come to culturally represent Rosie the River, J. Howard Miller's "We Can Do It."
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<p><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4331561948_136b3849b1_o.jpg" alt="J. Howard Miller's &quot;We Can Do it.&quot;" width="180" height="233" /></p>
<p>It is argued by artistic scholars and many a Rockwell historian that Rosie was one of the works that Americans particularly identified with. Rockwell's nostalgic scenes and neighbourly characters fell short of what a female Riveter, representing the face of wartime womanhood, could do for the nation. A feminist artistic icon, Rosie the Riveter is worth commending for its efforts to publicize and popularize the mass entrance of women in the workplace and necessarily worth highlighting the many biased limitations of the icon. Full disclosure: I have Miller's "We Can Do It" Rosie tattooed on a substantial portion of my back. Can I still write this confident not to skew my analytical skills? Mmmmyes.</p>
<p><span>"Rosie the Riveter" as the all-encompassing term for women's labor force participation during WWII that it has come to signify, was first introduced in 1942 by a song of the same. Written by Redd Evans and John Jacob Loeb, the song was re-recorded by numerous artists and become a sure-fire hit. The song's Rosie is a martyred assembly line worker, tireless and patriotic as the lyrics suggest: <i></i></span>All the day long/ Whether rain or shine/ She's a part of the assembly line./ She's making history/Working for victory/Rosie the Riveter.</p>
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Although many women took on male dominated trades during WWII, women were expected to return to their reproductive labor positions within the home once men returned from the war. Most women who entered the workplace specifically at wartime opted to do this. Later many women chose to return to their jobs in traditionally gendered work such as clerical or administrative positions – what has since been term pink-collar work.</p>
<p>The fact that the image was based on and closely linked to a real woman, <a href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3693/is_199710/ai_n8760245/">Rose Will Monroe</a>, may have contributed to the icon's popularity. The numerous service announcements, wartime films and posters she was the star of were used to encourage even the most doubtful of women to go to work for one reason – to support the war effort and their men.</p>
<p>Rosie the Riveter is an imperfect icon. While she (and yes, I know I am personifying an image and therefore imbuing it with all sorts of muddy ethical issues) is undeniably a feminist icon, it is a certain type of feminism that is celebrated while others are marginalized or altogether ignored. Rosie as a white woman stands in for the wartime contributions of other white women. The significant contributions of many others, mainly black women, are not conveyed by the icon. Jobs previously unavailable to black women as a result of their race became acceptable for them when the wartime atmosphere of necessity and urgency took over. No longer considered undesirable by employers, these women played every bit as much a role in the patriotic effort that their white counterparts did. The idea of working was not unheard of before the war. Women have worked and minority status in the form of race, class or sexuality, was usually what informed this behavior regardless of war. While many assume that a sexual division of labor, independent of time and space, is the reason women were primarily relegated to the domestic sphere prior to WWII, they fail to recognize the significance of a cultural division of labor influenced by sex. It was the middle-class white woman who was at home and the middle class white man in the workplace.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2704/4331561976_3091a22914_o.jpg" alt="Two African-American women working in a factory during WWII." width="401" height="518" /> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span></span></p>
<p>Rosie is still largely a propagandistic symbol. Women's right to widespread opportunity came only at patriarchal capitalism's allowance and need for this. Women's labor was exploited for the war effort, with women making a fraction of the wages offered to men doing the same work, and then refused once the war was over.</p>
<p>What else does the Rosie image ignore? A symbol exclusively for American feminism, Rosie ignores the likely double shift wartime woman workers faced. These women were getting it done on the job and at home, or at least trying to, but it is only their paid labor force participation that garners praise. Beyond that, Rosie is a heterosexist image. Used to propel feminine women into traditionally masculine work, the propaganda work of the image is predicated on an obligatory owing relationship to at least one man. We're doing it all for men so they can get home safely and quickly! Rosie ignores the gender non-normative women who, based on their "deviant" gender performance or sexuality, were denied access to traditionally feminine jobs. These women did the same work as many riveters both before and after the war and their contributions fail to receive any significant status quo attention.</p>
<p>Wrought with many a problem, Rosie is not the ideal of women's opportunity that she is often made out to be. But herein lies the value of feminist art – facilitation of conversation. What Rosie the Riveter speaks to and what she is (in)capable of conveying are all tied up together in Rockwell's painting. The image demands, and Rosie sure does get!</p>
<p><b>Further Reading:</b> <a href="/post/interpretations-of-a-classic">Interpretations of a Classic</a></p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/smart-norman-rockwell%E2%80%99s-birthday-and-the-birth-of-a-feminist-icon#commentsartNorman Rockwellpolitical artRosie the Rivetersmartsmart blogwarwomen's workArt and DesignTue, 09 Feb 2010 20:38:56 +0000Shaamini Yogaretnam2803 at http://bitchmagazine.orgThe dark and the delicate work of Jessie Rose Valahttp://bitchmagazine.org/post/the-delicate-and-the-dark-work-of-jessie-rose-vala
<p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3581/3289291174_2e29945ec6.jpg" height="191" width="500" /></p>
<p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3432/3385039699_41084b2a46.jpg" height="418" width="500" /><i></i></p>
<p><i>My Sinews Take No Rest, </i>2007, Graphite on Paper, 36&quot; x 42&quot; (detail)</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Artist <a href="http://jessierosevala.com/home.html" rel="nofollow">Jessie Rose Vala</a>, based in Portland, Oregon, has a way of mixing utterly beautiful graphite detail with dark, often mythological narratives. I first saw her work at <a href="http://www.motelgallery.com/archive/exhibitions/2007/jessieval/main.html" rel="nofollow">Motel Gallery</a> for the exhibition: <i>The Tortuous Veil</i>. In it, Vala explores the archetypes of the vampire, werewolf, zombie and shape-shifter, using them as metaphors for our own over consumption, complacency, mob mentality and environmental degradation. Other works of Vala include explorations of inner struggle despite the security and comfort we create for ourselves in something as mundane as our living room (<a href="http://www.motelgallery.com/archive/exhibitions/2005/dreamvilles/main.html" rel="nofollow"><i>Future Remnants of Dreamvilles</i></a>), as well as scenes that mix modern female figures with ancient myths and tropes. </p>
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<p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3459/3385865562_3aafc256fd.jpg" height="500" width="480" /><i></i></p>
<p><i>Rosewood, </i>2006, Graphite on Paper with Frame (Foam, Paper, Wire, Floral Tape, Wax, Polyester Flocking), 16&quot; x 18&quot;</p>
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<p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3660/3384921445_df2f9749f7.jpg" height="500" width="375" /><i></i></p>
<p><i>Lace Overtures, </i>2006, Aqua Art Fair, Miami, Fl. </p>
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<p>She has just released <i>The Tortuous Veil/Sketchbook</i> which features 64 full-color pages of drawing and photos from the exhibition, paired with sketchbook drawings on the flip side. While it's available at various galleries, I encourage you to <a href="http://jessierosevala.com/editions/publications/tvbook.html" rel="nofollow">purchase direct from the artist here</a>: (Just like it's best to subscribe/purchase your magazine directly from <a href="/subscribe" rel="nofollow">Bitch</a>. Nudge, nudge. Wink, wink.)</p>
<p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3140/3384921077_ae2d68b3f5.jpg" height="429" width="500" /> </p>
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<p>Jessie was kind enough to take time out of her schedule to answer a few of my questions about her work:</p>
<p><b>The first time I saw your work, was 'The Tortuous Veil' installation at Motel Gallery in Portland. I was immediately consumed by the massive scroll-like images of what seem to be innocent-looking young women, who at closer look have decomposing zombie flesh or are changing form in to werewolves. Other works of yours feature serpents and creatures who are seemingly using magic against the central women figures. Personally, they appeal to the escapist (and frankly, the Middle Earth nerd) in me, but when you mix this old imagery with modern-looking women, I'm forced (and pleased) to view them in a more contemporary context. What draws you to these archetypes and mythology? </b></p>
<p>The images in the foreground of my drawings and installations are in various forms of disintegration. Disappearing, rotting, shifting into other elements. Although the images in my work may be unsettling, there is also importance placed on creating a composed and beautiful image. </p>
<p><b>I notice a common thread of inner struggle/violence that contrasts with beauty and delicacy. Why do you think these themes show up in your work on a regular basis?</b></p>
<p>I have been attracted to death sense I was a small child. I watched way to many horror movies. Perhaps I was drawn to horror movies because they showed death in a very grisly form. Now I cannot watch horror movies they totally scare me, and I am repelled by the use of violence and fear in the media.I am obsessed with trying to show transformation whether physical or emotional. Birth and death are the ultimate transformations we have in life, both intensely mysterious. The inner struggle in my work is very much autobiographical. Often I feel at odds with the greater world around me, I battle with my own emotions, I to try to stay positive. It helps me to look to myths, fairy tales and archetypes, to understand human struggle and survival.</p>
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<p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3585/3384921683_77943c8501_o.jpg" height="700" width="603" /><i></i></p>
<p><i>My Sinews Take No Rest, </i>2007, Graphite on Paper, 36&quot; x 42&quot;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><b>It looks like your mediums of choice are graphite and paper engineering. Any particular reason why?</b></p>
<p>I went to school for ceramic sculpture and painting….so 3-D in combination with 2-D is what I feel closest too. At first I started making sculpture with paper for practical reasons. It is light and much easier to transport then ceramic and wood. I love creating objects out of it, because it is fragile and temporal. In one of my last shows I made a headstone out of paper, I like to juxtapose seemingly opposing elements. </p>
<p>About five years ago when I started to use paper I made the decision to use graphite. I felt I needed to simplify my materials. This simplification helped me to focus in on a specific skill and opened me up to new possibilities conceptually. </p>
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<p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3596/3384920949_0d56d08de5.jpg" height="433" width="500" /><i></i></p>
<p><i>We Are Black Sunlight, </i>2006, Paper, Graphite, Foam, 36&quot; x 36&quot; x 28&quot; </p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><b>What are you working on now?</b></p>
<p>Now I am working on a sculptural installation. I am incorporating paper, paper-mache, ceramic, agate, graphite and glass. I think after 5 years of streamlining the materials I work with I feel the need to synthesis different and new elements. The piece is called 'lost kingdom'. There are women figures, life size trees, animals and spiders. I am very excited for it.<b></b></p>
<p><b>Which artists, politics or ideas do you take most inspiration from?</b></p>
<p>Our current plight with the environment is something I am constantly thinking about. This is a major crisis. What can I say we see it on all fronts, animals (including us), plants, weather everything is being affected. We live in an unsustainable way, it is frightening and overwhelming and we are the only ones that can change it. One might not see this in my work, but it goes back to the first question of inner struggle and violence…I see this all around me, it is a constant theme in my work. With in this major crisis I have been thinking of colonialism, which has definitely begun to have a great effect on my next piece after 'lost kingdom'.</p>
<p>I am inspired by many artists, of course my friends <a href="http://www.motelgallery.com/archive/artists/emilycounts/main.html" rel="nofollow">Emily Counts</a> and <a href="http://www.mielmargarita.com/index.html" rel="nofollow">Miel Paredes</a>. Also <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiki_Smith" rel="nofollow">KiKi Smith</a>, <a href="http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/marlene_dumas.htm" rel="nofollow">Marlene Dumas</a>, <a href="http://www.odilonredon.net/" rel="nofollow">Odilon Redon</a>, <a href="http://images.google.com/images?q=Hilma+Af+Klint&amp;oe=utf-8&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;um=1&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;ei=16rPSbDfDJS-tAP3uuGhAw&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=image_result_group&amp;resnum=4&amp;ct=title" rel="nofollow">Hilma Af Klint</a>, <a href="http://www.olafbreuning.com/" rel="nofollow">Olaf Bruening</a> , <a href="http://www.ericbeltz.com/" rel="nofollow">Eric Beltz</a>, <a href="http://whetyourimagination.blogspot.com/2007/03/suehiro-maruo.html" rel="nofollow">Suehiro Mauro</a>, and <a href="http://www.hundertwasser.at/deutsch/hundertwasser/cover.php" rel="nofollow">Hundertwasser</a> to name a few. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/02/22/arts/22cai-slideshow_index.html" rel="nofollow">'I want to Believe' by Guo-Qiang</a> was definitely one of my favorite shows of the last year. I am a huge lover of books. Through books I find so much inspiration, especially art books and comics. So this last year I decided to self publish a book the <a href="http://jessierosevala.com/" rel="nofollow">Tortuous Veil</a> with Motel Projects on design. The images come from my last solo show at Motel Gallery in Portland Oregon. </p>
<p><b>Anything else you'd like to add?</b>In the last year I have thinking a lot about the established art world. I have recently been reading many of Hundertwasser's manifestos and Judy Chicago's <i><a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=JMk2ejlM-wUC&amp;dq=judy+chicago+through+the+flower&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=NUZHR_870z&amp;sig=93KTL7uaVCj-kNYc9dvdySidefU#PPP1,M1" rel="nofollow">Through the Flower</a></i>. Hundertwasser once said "contemporary art has become intellectual masturbation". Well I was thrilled to read this, it is hilarious, harsh and to the point. To often I feel the hierarchal system of galleries and museums confuses the power and transcendence of art. I strive for a world where art is accessible to the masses, inclusive instead of exclusive. So my question of late is what can I do to help facilitate this change. I hope in my life I will see great change in our perspective towards a worldview where inclusive holistic vision reigns instead of one ruled by dualism and power. </p>
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<p><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3436/3384921239_f52c0413a2_o.jpg" height="600" width="450" /><i></i></p>
<p><i>I Am Temple</i>, 2004, Motel, Portland, Ore.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://jessierosevala.com/" rel="nofollow">Jessie Rose Vala</a> (b. 1977, Madison, WI) lives and works in Portland, Oregon </p>
http://bitchmagazine.org/post/the-delicate-and-the-dark-work-of-jessie-rose-vala#commentsJessie Rose Valamythologysmartwomen in artArt and DesignSat, 28 Mar 2009 19:22:48 +0000Briar Levit1357 at http://bitchmagazine.orgGet Your sm{art} tickets!http://bitchmagazine.org/post/get-your-smart-tickets
<p>Only 3 days left until Bitch magazine's art auction - get your <a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com" rel="nofollow">tickets</a> to sm{art} now!</p>
<p>VIP reception with Judy Chicago - $75 - limit to 50 tickets! Main auction - $20 - 50, sliding scale, student $15.</p>
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http://bitchmagazine.org/post/get-your-smart-tickets#commentsarteventsfundraisingJudy ChicagosmartMusicThu, 23 Oct 2008 04:23:26 +0000Amy S. Williams854 at http://bitchmagazine.org